Rising basketball star Erica Woods has been invited to play for Great Britain Under-20 Women's Olympic development team at the European Championship Games held in Macedonia and Greece this summer.

The 17-year-old also announced yesterday that she would be continuing her basketball education at Marshall University in West Virginia.

Woods said it was not an easy decision to decide to represent Great Britain but said the chance to reach the 2012 Olympics in London was too good to turn down.

"This decision to represent Great Britain was difficult for me to make and I would like to thank the Bermuda Basketball Association (BBA) for their past and present support which they have provided for me," Woods said.

"However due to the possibility of playing in the Olympics in London 2012 it was an opportunity which I could not turn down.

"I'm only 17 so to be invited to train with the Great Britain squad is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The only way to get into this is to be invited so I'm honoured."

"They told me I was eligible and everything fell into place. Within the next week I will be flying out there to train and see where that takes me.

"I'm just excited and anxious to get out there and show them what I can do."

Woods made a big impression at the IMG Academies (IMGA) in Florida where she was honing her skills in preparation for the next step of her promising career.

Being a senior and finishing her second year at IMGA as a full-time student, she mulled over her choices, looking at what she believed would be the best college to attend.

In the end Marshall University, who play in Division 1 of the Conference USA against the likes of Memphis, Rice, Tulane and Tulsa, won her signature. "I chose Marshall University because it's the best fit for me team wise," said Woods. "They needed a player of my stature and ability to fill the shooting guard/small forward spot.

"I visited the campus this past weekend and was very impressed with the facilities. God has always blessed me and these two opportunities are coming from my faith and belief. I guess you can say that good things come to those who wait.

"They have a couple of returning seniors and a lot of players were injured last year, so they will be better assuming the team stays healthy. They had 17 wins last year and this year we will be looking for 20.

"I will bring energy to the side, defence is one of my strong points and the coach at Marshall is very big on defence.

"In the bigger picture we want to make the NCAA tournament come March."